The present invention relates to a system for coupling a visual sensor processor and a robot controller.
Generally, in a system which comprises a visual sensor processor and a robot controller in combination, the robot controller provides object specifying information (for example, a workpiece number), work specifying information (for instance, an instruction for computing the position or the like of an object), etc. to the visual sensor processor via an RS-232C interface (having a transmission rate of 4800 bauds), and the visual sensor processor, supplied with such information, sends back an ACK signal to the robot controller and, at the same time, executes the specified processes and then sends required position information and so forth to the robot controller via the above mentioned interface. The robot controller responds to the information to control the movement of a hand or the like to grip a workpiece, for example.
One problem of such a system is that a relatively large amount of time is needed until required information is supplied to the robot controller after issuing therefrom a command to the visual sensor processor. Another problem is that the system configuration is appreciably expensive.